Inside: Here are 7 of the best Halloween activities for kids and grandkids. Spooky, fun, entertaining, and more!

Halloween Activities for Kids & Grandkids

If you’re looking for some spooky Halloween activities for your kids or grandkids that will create fun and laughter, thrills, and chills—look no further.

Here are 7 ghostly Halloween activities your kids and grandkids will love!

#1: Halloween Activities: Art Activity Using Paint & Wooden Figures

This is a fun process art activity with 3 different steps. A great activity for teaching sequencing and patience.

Supplies Needed:

• 11” x 14” canvas—purchase at the Dollar Store or Michaels
• Tempera Paints—Halloween colors such as black, orange, bright green, and purple
• Foam paintbrushes, regular brushes, and a piece of cardboard about 4”x4”
• Wooden Halloween figures (Dollar Store). These should be large because they will eventually be glued to the 11×14 canvas

Step #1: Paint the Canvas: 2 Options

• If you want a scraped effect, squirt different colors of Halloween paint on the canvas.
• Give each grandchild a square piece of cardboard they can use to scrape the paint around the canvas
• OR, another option is to put colors of paint in bowls, let the kids mix with white paint and create more colors and then paint the entire canvas with foam paintbrushes. Either way will give your canvas a nice texture. Our grandkids mixed their paints in dishes and used foam paintbrushes.
• Be sure and paint the background in different Halloween colors–not just one color
• Let dry. This is the background for the wooden Halloween image

Step #2: Paint the Wooden Halloween Figures

While the canvas is drying, have your grandkids paint their wooden Halloween figure. Our grandkids chose wooden figures of what they are going to be for Halloween–a witch, a pumpkin, a ghost, and a cat.

• Supply different Halloween paints—black, orange, green, purple.
• Encourage them to look at their painted canvas and decide what Halloween color would be the best color to paint their figure. You want the image to stand out
• Have them paint the entire image in ONE or TWO colors using a foam paintbrush or a regular paintbrush. For some kids, using only one or two colors is difficult–they want to use more colors. Show them that the multi-colored background will help to pop their one or two-colored wooden figure
• Let dry

Step #3 Assemble:

• Glue the wooden Halloween image to the canvas
• Add a spooky spider in the corner (Dollar Store)
• Let them hang their Halloween pictures on the wall

#2: Grandkids in the Kitchen: Making Halloween Crayons

Have you ever made Halloween crayons? This is a great activity because it helps develop fine motor skills. Plus, it’s downright spooky fun! Inspiration: Girl and a Glue Gun

Supplies:

• Purchase different Halloween silicone molds or ice cube molds (Walmart has a great selection)
• Purchase a set of crayons for each grandchild doing the activity. Make certain that all the crayons are the same manufacturer

Directions:

• Peel the paper off the crayons. This can be difficult for kids. To make it easier, take an Exacto knife and score the paper on each crayon to make it easier to peel off
• Break the crayons with your fingers and stuff in the silicone molds.
• Put the molds on a cookie sheet and put them in the oven at 250 degrees for 15-20 minutes depending on the crayon manufacturer. Some crayons melt faster than others.
• When the crayons are completely melted, take out of the oven and cool. I put them in the freezer for 10 minutes to make certain they are dry.
• Pop the Halloween crayons out of the mold.
• Clean your mold immediately–before the crayon residual has time to harden
• Download a Halloween coloring page (below) and use your Halloween crayons to color them with

Places to Download Free Halloween Coloring Prints

For FREE or cheap Halloween prints (for the kids/grandkids to color) check out

• Depositphotos. Each Halloween coloring page is $1
• Purchase a Halloween coloring book

Here are some places for FREE Halloween coloring prints. Click on the links below to download these Halloween coloring prints.

Click here for this FREE print. Source: Best Coloring Pages for Kids

Click here for this FREE print. Source: Primary Games

Click here for this FREE print. Source: Pixabay

Click here for this Free print. Source: Pixabay

Click here for this FREE print. Crayola offers additional FREE Halloween prints to download. Click here for a fun selection to choose from

#3: Halloween Activities: A Slimy Sensory Bin

There are literally 100s of Halloween sensory bins online. After looking at several, I decided instead of using rice, beans, crushed Oreo cookies, or noodles—I would try something slimier to keep with the Halloween spirit. I decided to use Jell-O!

Sensory activities are important for children because they help build nerve connections in the brain for increased learning and encourages the development of motor skills.

Supplies: (for each child)

• Jell-O: 2 packages: one large, one small. Choose Halloween colors: orange, yellow, green, and cherry (blood) red.
• Small Halloween items from the Dollar store such as skeleton skulls, bones, eyeballs, plastic hands, and spiders

Directions:

Make a separate Jell-O recipe for each child or grandchild who will be doing this activity

• In a square plastic bowl, pour one large and one small package of Jell-O. Follow the directions on the Jell-O box. You will be putting in 6 cups of water plus the Jell-O.
• When completely mixed, put a bunch of the Halloween items you purchased into the Jell-O
• Refrigerate until solid
• Give each child/grandchild a spoon and have them scoop out the Halloween items. Encourage them to squish their hands in the Jell-O.
• Younger children may at first have difficulty digging out the Halloween items–but once they get it–they will love doing this sensory activity!

#4: Fine Motor Halloween Activities: Paper Weaving

Here is a fun Halloween activity to increase fine motor development by weaving paper.

The supplies are simple: a sheet of Halloween paper (Michaels) and strips of cardstock paper in Halloween colors.

Directions:

• Take a 12×12 “cardstock sheet of Halloween paper and on the back draw a 1” border around the entire paper
• Inside the border, draw vertical lines one inch apart
• With a razor blade, cut the lines inside the border
• Cut 1” wide by 11” long strips of cardstock paper—in colors of orange, black, green, and purple
• Have your child/grandchild take each strip of paper and weave in and out creating a Halloween weaving design.

#5: Halloween Activities: Reading Halloween Books & Activities

Check out my 2 blogs on Halloween books and activities. They are loaded with the best Halloween books ever plus lots of fun activities to make the books memorable. Click on the links below.

Everything You Need to Know About Great Halloween Books

Here are the Best Halloween Books for Children & Grandchildren

Between these 2 blogs, I’ve recommended 17 Halloween books and loads of super fun activities that will keep you and your kids/grandkids busy for the whole month of October!

#6: Halloween Music for Kids & Grandkids of All Ages

If you have little kids or grandkids (ages 18 months to 6 years old), I love the Super Simple Songs Halloween Music.

Provide your kids/grandkids with spooky wands, scarves, boas, or ribbons and dance and prance to the music. And parents & grandparents—get up and do this with them—dancing is a great form of exercise!

Here are some of our grandkids favorites you’ll find on YouTube;

• Five Creepy Spiders
• Knock, Knock Trick or Treat Who Are You?
• Go Away, Spooky Goblin
• Five Little Pumpkins
• 5 Little Monsters Jumping on the Bed

Halloween Music for Teenage Kids & Grandkids

If you are looking for Halloween music and games for older kids, check out my blog on Halloween music & games to play in the dark on Halloween night.

It’s all about spooky classical music and other spooky music found in the movies. Included are links to everything! Click on the link below:

Spooky Scary Halloween Music for Kids to Play in the Dark

#7: Halloween Filler Activity: Silly String

Okay, what kid doesn’t like silly string? It’s the perfect “filler” activity to keep the grandkiddies busy while you set up the next activity.

I got my silly string at the Dollar Store which means it will last about 5 minutes or less—but I work fast so 5 minutes is the perfect amount of time I need to keep them busy while I quickly set up the next project.

Do this activity outside—the silly string doesn’t smell the best which means it’s probably loaded with bad chemicals. This will last a very short time and then send the kiddies inside while you spend the next hour cleaning the mess up!

Do you have fun Halloween activities that you do with your kids or grandkids that they love and have become family traditions? Please comment in the section below.

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